Ice skates are boots with blades attached to the underside that are used to more readily propel oneself across sheets of ice. Developed in Finland several millennia ago, ice skates were originally crafted from the bones of animals and bound to a user's foot with leather straps. These skates allowed the native Finns to conserve energy while out on long hunts or travels. Over the course of many years, a metal blade design was eventually adopted. The oldest metal blade ice skate recovered was found in Scandinavia and dates back to 200 A.D.
Today there are a variety of different ice skate designs, each with its own unique intended purpose. While the most common types of ice skates are figure skates and hockey skates, there also exist racing skates, touring skates and bandy skates. As the design and use of ice skates has greatly improved over the years, they seem to have reached a plateau in terms of innovation.